Comparing Qin And Imperial China

1027 Words3 Pages

Compare and contrast archaeological evidence for imperial organization from two of the following: China (Qin), Imperial Rome Qin was an important dynasty in Chinese history. It ended the chaotic warring state period in 221 BC. (Pines 2014,p.1)Although Qin only existed for 13 years (From 221BC-207BC), it left ideology about Chinese empires and established the basic model of centralization power to the emperor. (Lewis 2007,p.1)Imperial Rome was also an important part of the European history. The Roman Empire not only dominated the Mediterranean for a time but also formed a cultural identity in Europe, which many countries are proud to be Roman orthodoxy (Woolf 2013,p12). From documents and sites, there are several differences and commons in frontiers …show more content…

Although they both had strong military power, Imperial Rome was more like expanding their rulership. Qin is only a third of the size of China today(see Figure 1)(Lewis 2007,p.5). However, Qin conquered six warring states and first built a unified empire in China(Lewis 2007,p.5). One of the reasons Qin could overthrow those countries and control its frontiers is the reforms of Shang Yang(Lewis 2007,p.30). He established universal conscription and 15 people in a team of mutual supervision in a stern reward and punishment system(Lewis 2007,p.30). Thousand Qin dynasty bamboo strips at Shuihudi provide more detailed information on Shang Yang reforms regarding military tax and how to promote it (Lewis 2007, p.30). This system improved the fighting ability of Qin soldiers and played an important role in stabilizing the border or expanding the territory of Qin. The other way to help Qin control their frontiers was to build walls. For better defence, nomads attacked walls built from tamped earth and stone in the lines of ridges and hills (Lewis 2007,p.30). Compared with the Roman empire Qin only existed for a short time, so it seemed Qin was more forced on stable borders and defensive rather than expanding territorial land. For Rome, it unified control of the Mediterranean and its littoral around 500 years(Fulford 1992,p.294). Then it continued its conquer in Europe “While the Rhine and Danube came to form the principal frontier-line, significant and enduring territorial gains were made to the north-west in Britain and the north-east in Dacia. ”(Fulford 1992, p.294). Most provinces were taken by war, so the requirements to keep the army clothed, armed, fed and garrisoned were massive (Fulford 1992, p.294). Roman was successful in no mass mobilization of the army between the core area and frontiers(Fulford 1992,p.295). To solve the funding problem, the imperial government used 10% tax to support the

Open Document